


Touched

by Roslyn_Frisson



Category: Stargate SG-1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-11 03:13:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12926112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roslyn_Frisson/pseuds/Roslyn_Frisson





	Touched

The debriefing over at last, Daniel drifted down the corridor of the SGC in a haze. Had it always been like this? He wasn't sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had, more or less. Still, the mission, however improbable, had been accomplished--Anubis' new weapon destroyed, Jonas' home world saved, Earth saved--yet again, Jack assured him, a bit flippantly. But were the stakes always going to be so high, the odds so great?  
  
Jonas had left, returning to Kelowna to help broker peace on his home world. Daniel hadn't had a great deal of time to get to know him, but he'd felt a kinship with the man. It might have been nice to have another archaeologist/linguist around. There hadn't been anyone that he'd clicked with since...Rothman. Okay, that was another disturbing memory popping up out of nowhere. Too bad he couldn't seem to pick and choose what to remember.  
  
Daniel stumbled a little as he entered the locker room. A sudden flood of memories surrounding Rothman's death--of being bound, of being frightened, of struggling to communicate--surged through him. He sank down on the bench in front of his locker. Resting his head in his hands, he waited for the memories to settle. It was sort of like dealing cards--slot this memory here, that memory there, fan them out to the light....  
  
A noise from the adjacent shower room pulled him back to the here and now. Was that a groan? He listened intently for a moment. There it was again.  
  
It sounded like--Jack?  
  
Three strides carried him into the showers, three more took him to where Jack stood under the shower spray, head bowed, one hand braced against the tiled wall. Jack's face was a white mask of pain, which tightened even more at Daniel’s approach.  
  
"Daniel, stay back!" Jack’s voice was tight with warning.  
  
"Jack! What is it?" Daniel looked for any sign of injury but there was no blood, no bruise.  
  
"I'll get Janet!" Daniel spun for the door but Jack's cry halted him.  
  
"For god's sake, Daniel, no!"  
  
"But, Jack…"  
  
"Daniel, for cryin' out loud, don't get anyone. Just--just help me lie down."  
  
Nodding his assent, brow twisted with confusion, Daniel shut off the shower, grabbed a stack of towels from the rack and spread them on the floor next to Jack. Turning to Jack, he reached for him but froze at the look on Jack's face. Daniel spread his hands out and away. "Jack." He couldn't entirely keep the slight edge of frustration out of his words. "I don't think I can help you lie down without touching you."  
  
"I know, I know. Just--just hold on a sec. Oh, God. This is going to hurt. So very much."  
  
"Jack, what's going to hurt? I can't see anything wrong!"  
  
"Oh, nothing really, just a little back spasm. I slipped and when I twisted to correct...I think--" Jack took a careful breath. "I think if I can just get horizontal, it'll be okay and Frasier won't ever have to know, okay?"  
  
"But, Jack...."  
  
"Daniel. Please."  
  
Daniel felt helpless against the note of desperation in Jack's voice. He placed a careful hand on Jack's shoulder.  
  
"Okay, Jack. Slow and easy. I'll take your weight and you just let go."  
  
Jack nodded, just the tiniest perceptible movement.  
  
"On three," Jack said. "One. Two. Three." And he stuffed one hand in his mouth as he let go.  
  
True to his word, Daniel caught him and eased him down onto the towels, wincing at the stifled scream. He'd heard Jack scream before. He remembered that. It was an awful, spine-ripping thing he would be just fine never hearing again, thanks anyway. But once down, though more than a little ashen, Jack did seem better. He was lying very still, though. Daniel stroked the wet hair back from Jack's face, a gesture he was barely aware of making as he watched for any sign of improvement.  
  
"Yeah, that was bad," Jack breathed at last, "but this is loads better. Much, much better. You can, uh, stop petting me now."  
  
"Oh!" Daniel jerked his hand back. He cradled it with the other almost as if he'd been burned, but he continued to watch Jack with concern. "What now?"  
  
"Well, this hasn't happened in a very long time, but it seems to me that if I just lie here for a while, it'll be okay."  
  
"How long?"  
  
"That's...hard to say. Like I said, it's been a while, about ten years, but boy, you never forget pain like that. Gives the old Goa'uld pain sticks a run for their money, if you know what I mean."  
  
And Daniel did, suddenly. Another memory bloomed, burst really, of Cha'ka and hay and cold metal bars and seeing Jack hurt so badly. Then his own experience with the pain stick blasted through him and he grabbed his head in remembered agony.  
  
"Daniel!" Jack's groan as he reached for him snapped Daniel back to the present.  
  
"Sorry, sorry! I’m okay! It's just that sometimes it comes all at once."  
  
Jack sucked in another careful breath. "Your memory?"  
  
Daniel nodded.  
  
"I thought you had it all back."  
  
"Mostly, but bits and pieces are still finding their way home."  
  
"Ah."  
  
They were silent for a moment. Daniel pursed his lips as he considered the situation. Jack couldn't be all that comfortable on the cold, concrete floor, even with the towels. Besides, he was still wet. Rising, Daniel liberated a few more towels, folded one as a pillow and knelt to slip it under Jack's head.  
  
"Ah-ah-ah!  
  
Daniel paused. "I'll be gentle." He slid one hand under Jack's head and, lifting very slowly, slid the makeshift pillow under and settled him back down. Repressing the sudden urge to stroke that silky soft silver again, he studied his patient, trying to decide how best to get him dry without any undue jostling. Taking another towel, he laid it over Jack's upper body in an attempt to soak up some of the water trapped in all that chest hair.  
  
"So, why aren't we telling Janet about this?"  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "Because I don't want to get grounded over something as ridiculous as this, Pinky."  
  
Daniel felt his eyebrows trying to meet. "Pinky?!"  
  
"It's a reference. Forget it. Or, I mean..."  
  
"That's okay, Jack. Just tell me why."  
  
"It's a temporary condition. It's only happened twice before, and the last one was years ago. I just need to lie still for a little while until it passes, then I'll be all good to go."  
  
Daniel looked at his watch.  
  
"Um, how little a while?" Daniel wasn't sure if the fleeting look of hurt he saw cross Jack's face was because of his back or because he thought Daniel was trying to leave. "It's just that we're bound to have company sooner or later. And then Janet will certainly find out." He laid a towel over Jack's hips and another over his legs. Air Force issue wasn't known for luxuriousness, but at least they were good-sized towels, which was fortunate because Jack was tall and lanky enough to need a lot of towel for coverage.  
  
Jack gave a soft sigh and an even softer "Thanks."  
  
"De rien. Here, let me try something."  
  
"No, no, that's fine. I'm just going to lie here and try to relax. Relaxing is pretty much key--Daniel! What are you doing?"  
  
"Trying to help you relax."  
  
"Well, you just stop that! I'm--I'm *sensitive* there! Did I mention that I need to relax? You've...oooh!"  
  
Daniel had a firm hold on damp flesh, squeezing a little as it jerked in his grasp. "See? You just need to rub firmly so it doesn't tickle. Sha're used to do this for me, especially early on when I wasn't in such great shape. I'd be aching all over from trying to help with the tribe’s daily chores and she'd press riiight there--," Daniel paused as he matched action to words, "--and suddenly I'd feel much better."  
  
Jack's reply was a breathy, "Yeah, better, sure..."  
  
"It's an ancient art, you know." Daniel leaned into his work, observing with satisfaction as pale, water-raisined skin pinked up nicely under his ministrations. "There are records going back thousands of years touting the beneficial effects."  
  
"Efffects," was Jack's quiet echo.  
  
"Oh yes. It stimulates circulation, the liver, right here is for the spleen..."  
  
"Sssspleeeen..." Jack's eyes were mostly closed, with just a bit of white showing between the lashes. Daniel smiled to himself as he stroked and pulled, pressed and caressed. It was nice to be able to bring such pleasure to a friend. At last, when Jack's mouth began to sag open and his head began to loll on its paltry pillow, Daniel gave a final gentle pat, wiped his hands on yet another convenient towel and moved up to touch Jack on the shoulder.  
  
"Think maybe you can make it to the locker room now?"  
  
"I think maybe I can float now."  
  
"Let's just settle for standing without pain. Here." Daniel slid Jack's arm around his shoulders and helped him to a sitting position. From there they rose easily, Daniel deftly twisting a towel around Jack's narrow waist as they stood.  
"Okay?"  
  
"Mmm-hmmm." Jack was leaning on him heavily, but he didn't seem to be hurting. Daniel turned them slowly, cautiously, toward the locker room and though a little unsteady--okay, they were weaving like sailors--they managed to reach the bench without further incident. Jack seemed about to flow on down to the floor, so Daniel sat next to him, keeping one hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Feel a little woozy." Jack leaned into Daniel's touch.  
  
"That's probably the endorphins."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Daniel was thinking that maybe he ought to do something about all those towels in the shower room when Sam came in, already changed into civvies. She smiled and nodded at the two men as she moved toward her locker, then paused and swung back around.  
  
"What happened to him?"  
Daniel squinted up at her. "Um, endorphins?"  
  
"Endorphins?"  
  
Jack seemed to feel the need to join in. "A whole passle of 'em."  
  
Sam took in Jack's state of unattire, Daniel's wet knees, and raised one eyebrow.  
  
"I, uh, gave Jack a foot massage."  
  
The eyebrow elevated higher.  
  
"He, uh, he was having some back pain and I thought it would help."  
  
"Did it?"  
  
Daniel's "I think so." was nearly drowned out by Jack's "Ohhh, yeaaahh."  
  
Sam turned back to her locker. "Must have been some massage."  
  
"Oh, it was." Jack sat up a little and took note of his bareness. "Hey, Carter! Do ya mind?"  
  
"Not at all, sir." She had her jacket on and her purse slung over her shoulder. "See you at seven?" She strode to the door, then turned. "Uh, Daniel, I think I might be having a little twinge in my neck..."  
  
Daniel smiled. "Sure, Sam. See you at Jack's."  
  
"Be careful, Carter. You might need a designated driver afterwards. Friends don't let friends endorphin and drive."  
Sam smirked. "I'll take my chances, sir. And chances are Teal'c'll want a turn."  
  
"Hey, you two can't be wearing out my personal masseur! You do each other. Er, I mean--okay, that didn't come out quite right."  
  
Sam snickered. "Maybe I should pick up some grapes." And then she was gone, her long strides clocking swiftly away along the corridor.  
  
Jack looked after her, a mixture of admiration and consternation on his face. Daniel looked at his wet knees, feeling suddenly, bizarrely awkward. "I should change."  
  
"Well, hurry it up." Jack stood, cocked his head as if listening for a moment, then grinned. "Good as new. Say, do you suppose that trick might work on my knees?" He took a shirt out of his locker and pulled it on. "We need to get crackin' if we're going to have something ready for those two to eat by seven."  
  
Daniel rose, moved to his locker, pulled out a dry pair of pants. BDU's. Daniel sighed. They would have to do. They were all he had at the moment. He supposed he'd have to go shopping soon for something a little less militaristic. Perhaps--another memory slid home and Daniel smiled. Yes, Jack would loan him something. Maybe Jack knew what had happened to all his clothes. There was a certain sweater...  
  
"Hey, Daniel."  
  
Daniel looked up to find Jack fully dressed and looking at him with affection and exasperation. Daniel quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"Just, thanks. And welcome home."  
  
They smiled at each other for the space of a heartbeat, then Jack tapped his watch.  
  
"Shake a leg, already. I told you Teal'c gets testy when his blood sugar gets low! The Jell-O will barely have time to set as it is!"  
  
"Jell-O? You're making Jell-O?"  
  
"Hey, there's always room. Meet me at the truck." Jack took his lanky form through the door, leaving Daniel to hustle into dry clothes and hurry after him. He paused for a moment as he closed his locker, a contented smile flickering on his lips. It was good to be home.


End file.
